If your health is so severely impaired that you cannot work, you may have considered applying for Social Security disability insurance (SSDI), a federal program designed to provide long-term financial protection for those who’ve paid into the program as working adults.

If you’ve been reluctant to apply for SSDI because of horror stories about mountains of paperwork, denials, and long waiting periods for your first check, take heart: Many of these tales are simply myths. And help for the application process is available – much of it for free.

To help you sort the myths from the facts, we consulted a Social Security spokesperson, a lawyer who handles Social Security disability cases, and a patient advocate.

Myth: Why bother? I’ll just be denied.

Not true for everyone, says William (“BJ”) Jarrett, a spokesperson for the Social Security Administration. While Jarrett says standards are strict, and the process is rigorous, the SSA wants to be certain the person is truly disabled and unable to work. And the rejection rate is high, he says.

”The allowance rates for disability claims in fiscal year 2013, the most recent data available, was around 33 percent,” he says. That means 33 percent of the applications received in fiscal year 2013 were approved.

“In my experience, people rarely get it the first time they apply,” says Melissa Proudian, an attorney in Fresno, California, whose primary focus is on Social Security disability cases. But if you’re denied the first time around, you can appeal.

Myth: SSDI will replace most of your work-related income.

“Social security disability payments are modest,” Jarrett says. “At the beginning of 2015, Social Security paid an average monthly disability benefit of $1,165.” The payment is meant to help people meet basic living needs, and the program is designed to replace some, but not all, lost income. Continue reading “10 Myths and Facts About Social Security Disability Insurance”